Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.

He began building puppets at the age of 10 and performed on Baltimore’s Harbor Front and local television as a teenager. Clash’s first television work was for the CBS affiliate in Baltimore. He came to Sesame Street after attracting the attention of Muppet designer Kermit Love. Clash’s film credits include Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I and II, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space and Elmo in Grouchland.

His television work includes The Great Space Coaster, Captain Kangaroo, Dinosaurs and Muppets Tonight. He also was Co-Executive Producer for Elmopalooza, CinderElmo, and Elmo’s World; Co-Producer for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland; and also directs Sesame Street episodes and other projects. Clash directed and co-produced the DVD series Sesame Beginnings for Sesame Workshop. Moreover, he directed and was Co-Producer for Sesame Workshop’s outreach DVD Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings and Changes.

His most recent work includes directing and appearing in Talk, Listen, Connect: When Families Grieve. He also directed the Muppet segments of the PBS primetime special, Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times. Clash won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series for his work as Elmo in Sesame Street Seasons 21, 35-37, 39-41 and in 2001-2008 and 2010-2011 for his work as Co-Executive Producer for Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series.

In September 2006, Clash released his autobiography, My Life as a Furry Red Monster, What Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love, and Laughing Out Loud.

Constance Marks is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker. She is the founder and president of Constance Marks Productions, Inc., a documentary production company based in New York City. Marks began her filmmaking career over 30 years ago as an assistant editor for the renowned Cinema Verite pioneers, David and Albert Maysles.

Marks’ critically acclaimed films have been shown theatrically, broadcast widely, and garnered numerous awards. Her productions include Return to Appalachia which aired on PBS, Let’s Fall in Love: A Singles Weekend at the Concord Hotel. which was selected by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as one of the outstanding documentaries of the year, and Green Chimneys - a full-length documentary feature film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. Marks has produced numerous films focusing on important social issues including homelessness, the elderly, experimental charter schools and substance abuse recovery residences.

JAMES J. MILLER (Director of Photography, Producer)

James Miller began his career as a Cameraman/Lighting Director in the late 1970s at a PBS affiliate and later started his freelance career in New York, where he joined the crew of Sesame Street. As a freelancer, Miller has traveled extensively around the globe as a Director of Photography and Cameraman. His passion for “having every frame tell the story” has earned him multiple Emmy Awards.

Miller’s cinematography on the 1997 documentary Green Chimneys won accolades. That film went on to win First Prize at Taos Talking Pictures, Best Film at the Bermuda International Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Denver and San Jose Film Festivals.

Miller’s diverse shooting style enables him to work in a wide variety of genres including single camera documentaries, multi-camera concerts and entertainment shows, sports, and theatre. His clients include the major networks, Discovery Channel, TLC, National Geographic, MTV, and VH1, as well as international networks such as the BBC, Channel 9 Australia, and Granada. More notably, Miller has covered the Eco-Challenge and seven Olympics. His current projects include documentaries, multi-camera entertainment and Broadway shows. Miller is an avid marathoner and triathlete. For more info, go to: www.ProCamNYC.com.

CORINNE LAPOOK (Producer)

Corinne LaPook started her career in the entertainment industry working for legendary graphic designer Lou Dorfsman at CBS. She joined the original team of MTV: Music Television during the revolutionary birth of the network. After working in the music industry for several years, including positions in artist management and marketing, she became the Director of The American Film Institute’s New York office. Corinne has reunited with her 8th grade film classmate Connie Marks to produce Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.

PHILIP SHANE (Co-Director, Editor, Writer)

Philip Shane has been making documentaries for more than 20 years. He was Bob Eisenhardt’s co-editor on Constance Marks’ Green Chimneys (Sundance, 1997). In addition to Being Elmo, Shane has edited many documentaries about famous performers, including Making Trouble: Three Generations Of Funny Jewish Women (Sundance Channel, 2007); Paul McCartney’s Wingspan (2001, dir. Alistair Donald); and The Last Of The First (2007, dir. Anja Baron) about the legendary Harlem Blues and Jazz Band. He has also worked with Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, and the Boston Symphony.

At ABC News, with Senior Producer Richard Gerdau for more than ten years, Shane edited many long-form documentaries, including Ted Koppel's Tip Of The Spear (DuPont Columbia Award for Broadcast Journalism, 2004) and Martin Luther King, Jr.: Searching For The Promised Land (Emmy Award, 1999).

Prior to Being Elmo, he produced and edited the two-hour special, Einstein: The Real Story Of The Man Behind The Theory (History Channel, 2008).

JUSTIN WEINSTEIN (Editor, Writer)

Justin Weinstein is a Brooklyn-based documentary filmmaker whose work over the past ten years has been a combination of long and short-form documentary films on many subjects, most often those focused on scientific and environmental issues.

Most recently, Weinstein produced several documentaries on energy issues. He produced, shot, and edited a 20-minute documentary about mountaintop coal mining for Al Jazeera English called Face-Off at Coal River Mountain. For the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) he co-produced the feature documentary Dirty Business: Clean Coal and the Battle for Our Energy Future.

During four years at ABC News and Peter Jennings Productions, Weinstein worked as a producer on numerous projects, including the prime-time ABC News two-hour documentary special Last Days on Earth.

JOEL GOODMAN (Composer)

Joel Goodman has scored over 100 films and television shows for an impressive array of distinguished directors and producers, including Wong Kar-wei, Barbara Kopple, Albert Maysles, Barak Goodman, Kevin Spacey, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Andrew Jarecki, Mark Zwonitzer, Marshall Curry, Oren Jacoby and Michael Epstein. Joel’s new Main Theme for the top rated PBS series American Experience premiered in January 2011. His work includes many Oscar nominated films and Emmy award winning television productions. Joel is also an active record producer. For more information, please visit www.joelgoodman.com.

ABOUT SESAME STREET

In 1969, a little street filled with laughter, learning and promise launched a revolution in children’s television. Sesame Street stands out as the most thoroughly developed and researched preschool television program and media offering, with a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on the development of the whole child. Sesame Street has introduced generations of children to information and experiences ranging from nutrition and space exploration to lessons about cooperation, friendship and diversity with the help of the beloved Muppets including Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster. Honored with more Emmy® awards than any other television show in history, Sesame Street continues to set the gold standard for excellence in educational media, giving children the best head start in school and life.

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization, produces local Sesame Street programs that are seen in over 140 countries. Beyond television, Sesame Street content is created for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesamestreet.org.